Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The first time we we ever ate at Jilera the salad was amazing. Now, it's a real rarity for me to order a salad but I wasn't very hungry that night and salad sounded interesting.

It was fantastic.

The salads can also be ordered as a wrap or an open sandwich. On this, the second occasion we were visiting the place, I opted for a different salad as I wasn't feeling the carb vibe that evening. My meal arrived as an open sandwich and I was completely disappointed. It was mostly bread and sparse on the good stuff. The waitress graciously offered to rectify the mistake but, as a rule, I don't send food back because I like to avoid the possibility of ingesting the chef's spit at all costs.

We were a party of 7 diners. My order was wrong, one of the burgers was cold and the deep dish of nachos only had toppings on the top layer... when you're paying almost 70 rand for something as simple as vegetarian nachos you expect a bit more. The bunny chow was a very mild but by far the best meal at the table.

We were there on a Friday night and the place seemed more geared towards the bar vibe than the restaurant vibe that night. Such a pity because the first time we visited we had such an unexpectedly good experience, but I can't see any of us back there anytime soon

Monday, October 3, 2011

MEAT - FREE MONDAYS

According to the Meat-Free Mondays South Africa website: A vegan driving an SUV is more eco-friendly than a meat-eater riding a bicycle'. Really? Well, who am I to argue?

So, I've been persuaded to join the movement and I think everyone should give it a try - not because its the trendy thing to do, but because going without meat for at least one day a week is good for both your personal health and the environment.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Often, when I eat something I haven’t eaten in a while (but LOVED during childhood), I am disappointed. It seems that ‘when we were young’ isn’t a cliché for nothing. Certain things just tasted better when we were kids. Now, I know some people will say that its just because we’ve now developed a more mature palette so we no longer find the same pleasure in foods we adored as children but I say bollocks to that. Here's why:

When I was young I remember the distinct crunch of a Kit Kat. 4 fingers of chocolate were never enough, I always wanted more. It seems to me that these days the wafer is more air than actual wafer and the chocolate forms the thinnest of veneers over said airy wafer. Unsatisfying, to say the least.

The next on my list of disappointments in the BarOne. Again guilty of thinning the chocolate layer to such an extent that, I feel, it has lost the very essence that made it a BarOne. In the old days there was a decent chocolate coating around the entire thing but the real win was the top of the bar, which was a thick hard chocolate layer, with ridges all along its back. The memorable CRACK which was heard and felt when biting through that top layer has now vanished, and in its place is a thin, silent imposter.

One of my favourite memories of Easter during childhood is finding a whole 6 pack carton of white eggs. Back in the day you would suck on one those things for hours until your entire mouth was covered in the white candy coating. Eventually your patience would be rewarded as after wearing the shell down enough you would be able to crack the egg open with your teeth and enjoy the delicious chocolate layer on the inside of the egg.

Pure heaven. Back then it was literally impossible to bite through the shell straight out of the packet, similar to the impossibility of biting through granite. These days, to my utter dismay, the shell of the egg may as well be made of glass. It is so fragile that one small nip means that the egg is in pieces. Fair enough, it might be better for the teeth of today’s children but I feel like the old white eggs were a lesson in patience. Nowadays, its all over in a matter of 2 minutes and the child is already stuffing the next white egg in his mouth.

In these days of declining quality it is great to know that some things are just as you remember them as a kid. I ate a bag of NikNaks this morning and they were deeelicious, the same crunch of my childhood, the same distinct cheese flavour, the same orange fingers after consuming the bag. It makes me happy that the quality of some things is so carefully maintained. Not only does it satisfy the craving. It also provides that warm and fuzzy nostalgic feeling in your tummy.

NikNaks, you rock my world.

Interestingly, the NikNaks packet design has changed again. Trying to evolve with the times.. badly, in my opinion.. but I do not want to sound ungrateful as I am thankful to them for maintaining the awesomness of what is inside the packet.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Last night I decided I needed to use up a half block of parmesan that had been in the fridge a while. In my searches I came across Pioneer Woman's recipe for chicken parmigiana. I adjusted portion size and then proceeded to follow the recipe as best I could.

The result was quite spectacular. We sat down to eat and, after a few mouthfuls boyfriend got distracted by something on his iphone. When I brought to his attention that his food was getting cold he looked down at his plate and said "Wow, I didn't realise I had so much food left. This is so awesome".

Now, that's the type of compliment that makes me smile really wide.

Be warned - this is by no means a diet friendly meal (I think I used about double the cheese pioneer woman did - if thats even possible) but making it will almost certainly make your life better.

PIONEER WOMAN'S CHICKEN PARMIGIANA

Ingredients:

4 chicken fillets

1 and a half cans whole peeled tomatoes (this was all I had)

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup wine

flour

salt

pepper

mixed herbs

parsley

parmesan

onion

Chop (PW left whole) coat with flour and cook chicken - I cooked til crispy cos I like the texture.

Cook chopped onion and garlic, pour in wine and reduce til half.

Chop tomatoes roughly in the can and then add to the pan.

Simmer until reduced to your liking. PW suggested half an hour (but used double quantity). I waited around 15 mins.

Chuck chicken on top and sprinkle with parmesan (liberally, very liberally) and then cover for 5-10mins to let the cheese melt.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

There has been a lot of hype around this newly opened joint. And i mean A LOT a lot. It opened while I was on holiday overseas and boyfriend, being the awesome boyfriend he is, decided to wait for me to get back before trying it out.

So we ended up having our most recent date night there. The first thing I thought when I arrived was "man, this place is TINY". I mean, it wasn't very busy so it didn't really matter but ya, it is pretty tiny. The second thing I noticed was the tables. As I mentioned the place wasn't full so I didn't see the concept in action but to me it seems as though they've taken a leaf out of Europe's book: The tables are longish and three couples, not necessarily in the same party of diners, are able to comfortably eat side-by-side at one of these tables. And so, combined with my first observation on the size of this place, you will understand the genius that is employing this seating strategy.

I couldn't stop admiring the painted mural...

The food menu is super limited, which I LOVE because I often find it difficult to choose what to eat when I go out. Also, it is a new restaurant so I appreciate that they've chosen a few dishes in order that they may concentrate on the quality of these few items and make them sparkle.

The waitresses and the owner are fantastic hosts. Friendly and laid back, its the kind of service I imagine being the norm back in my parents' day. The employees want to make you feel as comfortable as possible and are genuinely interested in your well-being while you are there. It's this element that makes people feel at home while they're out and, I imagine, has earned this place many return customers already.

Boyfriend had the fishcakes to start and I had calamari salad. Both were fair. I thought the fish cakes were a little bit dense for my liking but I really enjoyed the taste - distinctly Thai. I always love a salad filled with fresh herbs so this one was top notch in my opinion.

(more chicken noodles than I could handle - this was my plate after I'd eaten my fill)

For main course boyfriend had chicken fried rice and I had chicken with noodles. The portion sizes were extremely generous and neither of us were able to finish. I preferred the noodles as the dish had stronger flavours and the absolute perfect amount of chilli heat for my taste.

All in all it was a lovely night. For starters, mains, a drink (and enough leftovers for lunch the next day) it cost us just over R200.00. That's pretty good value for money if you ask me.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

It's a weird thing to explain, summer "being in the air" but seriously, that's how it feels! When you wake up in the morning there is a certain excitement in your tummy for no reason at all, you just wake up and it's there. That's when you know that winter is on his way out and summer is just around the corner. The sun is starting to wake up earlier and go to bed later, skies are bluer and people are extra smiley.

Monday, August 29, 2011

This was the second of the Olive and Oil branches to open in Durban. The first was in Glenwood. This one is in Umhlanga.

We were dining with an Australian friend who made me smile with her gushing compliments about our beautiful country. She remarked that in South Africa the waitrons are super attentive to restaurant patrons.This dining experience was no exception. My wine glass was rarely empty and our waiter visibly tried his best to ensure that our every need was met.

The decor and design are simple. The menu is varied and there is something for every taste. The portion sizes are good and although not the cheapest place to eat in town we didn't feel like we were ripped off.

The starter of ostrich carpaccio was very tasty and perfectly paired with rocket
For the main meal I ate a fisherman's platter. The calamari was succulent, the prawns were delicious and the cape salmon (the linefish) was moist and tasty.

Although everything on the my list was ticked I still feel that something was lacking. I can't say what it was but I feel like the spark that makes a good restaurant into a great restaurant (one that I want to visit again and again) was absent. For this reason I prefer the Glenwood version of this restaurant.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

This is a South African favourite (at least in my neck of the woods) and, until Woolworths got wind of the recipe and started selling it pre-made in little tubs with expensive price tags, people actually used to make it themselves. It's quick, it's cheap and it is DELICIOUS.

Whoever you serve this to will ask for a second helping. Guaranteed.

2 packets tennis biscuits

1 tin caramel treat

2 sachets of orley whip - or one tub of cream

100g slab peppermint chocolate

Get the caramel out of the tin and stir it around to loosen it up a little. It needs to be spreadable.

Whisk the orley whip until soft peaks form add half a teaspoon of sugar and whisk til stiff peaks (I first learned this recipe with cream and made it that way until I had the bright idea of substituting it for orley whip. It has the same texture without making the dessert unbearably rich. I like it because it means now I can eat about three bowls worth of the stuff before I start feeling ill).

Blob a bit of caramel at the bottom of the dish and then proceed to layer tennis biscuits, beaten orley whip, grated chocolate on top of the caramel and repeat.

Keep going until all the ingredients are used up or the bowl runs out of space.

Finish off with the orley whip layer and sprinkle some grated chocolate on top.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Seriously, one of the best things about attending a wedding is the food - but most especially the cake!

Recently we attended a highschool friend's beautiful wedding, which was held in midlands. The ceremony and reception were both stunning. And the cake! The cake was to die for! Rich, dense, moist carrot cake covered in cream cheese frosting. Just thinking about it induces severe mouth-watering.

So, I thought it'd be nice to share a picture of this magnificient cake with the world. So here it is.

I also LOVE those little birds perched on top. So elegant. Such fun :)

We stayed the weekend in the midlands and here are one or two pictures I took while we were there...

Sunday, July 10, 2011

I am not a beer drinker. I don’t like the taste. Is it just me? Because I thought most girls didn’t like beer either? Wow, I was in for a surprise when I arrived in Belgium for a six month exchange. Beer is pretty much the only thing ANYONE drinks there. In fact, everyone looked at me like I was taking crazy pills when I said that I didn’t.

Although beer is still not my drink of choice I did taste many different beers in Europe and grew to quite like some of them.

Imagine my delight when I walked into my local bottle store to find that they now stock Duvel. One of my favourite beers while I was in Belgium. What a fantastic day! Now I am able to share a little bit of my Belgian experience with my friends and family here in Durban... As an aside I always think that Duvel tastes like salami but no one else agrees. Please go out and taste some and let me know what you think.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

We decided to order from the tapas menu: fried line fish, grilled calamari, ostrich carpaccio, baked goats cheese, and some chips.

Ultimate win!

The fish and chips were pretty good. The ostrich was scrumptious, served with avo and rocket - I didn't want the dish to end. The calamari was equally impressive - tender and tasty. And as for the goats cheese, OH the goats cheese! Simply sublime. Crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. I could eat that baked goats cheese everyday for the rest of my life and I would not tire of its taste and texture.

This place is gorgeous, it has a sophisticated charm without being at all pretentious.

The waitresses are friendly and helpful without being over-bearing.

The prices are a smidge higher than average, but most definitely worth it.

Another thing is that the mojito's are REALLY good, my only complaint is the tiny tumbler it was served in meant that I had to order two, and it kinda left me feeling that the cocktail was overpriced.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Most South African's, at least the one's I have meat during my 25 years living here, eat meat/fish/poultry with at least two meals a day.

That's a lot of meat.

I'm trying to eat less meat but its a tough task when the people you cook for look sideways at any meal that doesn't contain some animal product in it. Boyfriend even likes to eat salad for dinner sometimes - but only if there is tuna/chicken/bacon somehow incorporated.

Fortunately, boyfriend likes my cooking a lot so even if the dish contains something he doesn't like to eat he will still give whatever I make a solid try.

I was very excited about this meal. However, not only does this meal not contain any meat at all, but it's main ingredient is something that boyfriend hates.

Mushrooms.

For some reason I ALWAYS forget he hates mushrooms. It's not because I don't care about him or consider him when I'm cooking, it is purely because I love mushrooms so much that when I see a good mushroom recipe it just pulls me towards it and engulfs my sensibilities. Also, i think that I've developed some kind of psychological blockage that causes my love for this delicious fungus to somehow outshine all the memories I have of boyfriend piling his mushrooms onto my plate at dinner parties.

Whenever I forget he doesn't like mushrooms he's too sweet and kind to remind me about it at the time so he soldiers on through and eats it all up. Then he'll say something like "For mushrooms that meal was great!" and I will reply with a "doh, how did I forget AGAIN?" and then I'll be happy that I did forget and that I've helped further his journey along the path of mushroom appreciation. If he eats the whole thing and then says he isn't really a fan of the dish the story ends a little differently. But we won't go there because this meal was a winner so that's all that matters today.

Ingredients (for 4 burgers)

4 medium portabello mushrooms, stems removed (I used 8 smaller ones and doubled them up on the burgers)

1 finely chopped onion

1 finely chopped green pepper

olive oil

1 avocado, mashed

1/2 tsp minced garlic

4 hamburger buns

cheddar cheese

Sundried tomato pesto

Method

Brush mushrooms and onion slices with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper

Under the grill cook mushrooms until tender, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.

Fry onion and green pepper

Mash avo with salt and pepper.

Spoon onions and peppers into mushroom cavities, divided equally.

Cover mushrooms with cheese and melt under the grill.

Spread sundried tomato pesto and then smooth Avocado mixture on bottom of each bun; top each with stuffed mushrooms.

Cover with tops of buns.

This is not an entirely original recipe but I can't remember where I found the one I used as inspiration. If anyone knows please holla and let me know.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

I feel like I'm getting better at this blogging thing. More regular I mean. I'm pretty sure the value of the content hasn't increased. Two posts in two days though. Here's hoping the regularity lasts.

So, last night boyfriend and I celebrated the first of June with a nice dinner at home. For dessert we went out to Durban's first dedicated frozen yoghurt bar, Wakaberry.

Wakaberry yoghurt bar is situated on Durban's Florida Road in the old Bank Gallery. Boyfriend and I both love that building and were quite sad to see it go from the clean white it used to be, to the new pastel-ish colours (on the inside) that it now is. The colour scheme is pretty fitting for a yoghurt bar though.

It might be winter but the cold would never stop me from 1. trying something new (especially in Durban - cos who knows how long it'll be around) and 2. eating cold desserts.

The first thing that struck us on entering was the huge amount of space inside. It felt like even a duck's quack would echo in there. The dude at the counter was friendly and helpful.

I went for vanilla flavoured yoghurt with a tiny bit of toffee flavoured on top and I topped that with seeds, nuts, coco pops, smarties and astros.

Boyfriend's lime yoghurt was very limey, like capitalisation-of-every-letter VERY. I could only manage one bite. It was just to electric for my taste. My yoghurt was perfect - delicately tart the way froyo should be. The nuts, seeds, coco pops and astros were delicious accompaniments. Note to self, the smarties went a bit too hard and may have cracked a tooth.

I enjoyed the dessert and found it pretty resonably priced. We both had more than sufficiently sized helpings and it cost us R32.00 for both. I can definitely see myself going back to sample the mixed berry yoghurt with some fresh fruit toppings. Mmmmmm

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The 1st of June is a special day for two reasons. The first reason is that it is boyfriend and my 2nd anniversary of dating and the second reason is that it is the first day of the best month of the year. My birthday month! And that means CAKE! Yay! I reckon it's an accepted truth that as children we love birthdays but as time goes on we start to hate birthdays because they remind us that we're getting older and a little less pretty and all of that. I'm not sure if the hatred of birthdays is meant to have set in by mid-twenties but I can safely say that I still LOVE my birthday... even though my family totally forgot it last year.

"The day after my birthday is not my birthday mum" Jemaine, Flight of the Conchords.

Monday, May 16, 2011

This place is a staple on boyfriend and my weekly eating schedule. Previously a chilled out, low-key stalwart on the Durban eatery scene, it is now a super vibey, place-to-be-seen. In fact, nothing has changed other than a fully licensced bar opening up next door. Now you can have a few drinks with your meal, which clearly makes all the difference.

A recent new addition is a dedicated outside seating area which is simple but comfortable. Decor is minimal, uncluttered and functional. It's obvious that the owner is making a consistent effort to improve the place. Famous for ridiculously good Indian food at ridiculously reasonable prices and served as the most ridiculously large portions.

These days you have to book for a friday night's dinner and word on the street is that they don't even accept bookings for saturday nights anymore because they are just too busy. The vibe is great, its like a pre-party for your friday night. But beware, if you have hipster tendencies you might be offended at the amount of trucker caps and popped collars and psuedo mohawks and hi5's and "hey boet's" flying around the place these days - if that's your problem just get takeaway - it is soooo worth it.

The best advice that I can impart is to order a roti, they are between 26 - 40 rand (depending on the filling you choose) and the best value for money you can imagine. Boyfriend and I usually share one, stuff our faces until we can't sit up straight and STILL have left overs for midnight snacking.

On a recent occasion I tried something other than a roti for the first time (gasp). I tried the 'chip chow' which I'd never heard of before. I'm pretty sure it changed my life. Chips with spiced salt covered in mutton curry and topped with melted cheese. It's like my favourite roti deconstructed. I only got through half of the meal. The portion was just too big but it was delicious and I will defintiely be having it the next time we sit down for a meal.

Boyfriend had a mutton bunny chow on the same night and although I'm not the biggest bunny fan around it was really enjoyable.

Every roti, samoosa, bunny and briyani I have tasted at Sunrise have been great superb and excellent value for money. However, if I had to recommend my absolute favourite it would be the beans, chips, cheese and mutton gravy roti or the mushroom and potato roti (this roti is not spicy but full to the brim with flavour). These are my 'go to' guys and they hit the mark everytime.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

My friend Lisa taught me how to make my own ice tea. It is a cheat method which means it is super duper easy.

I actually did a bit of research before deciding to use Lisa's method but the 'sun tea' and 'cold-brewed' seemed like waaay too much admin for my liking. On a hot day, when I am craving ice tea I don't want to have to wait hours for it to be ready - by that time the sun has probably gone down and tomorrow might be rainy.

The cheat's recipe is for instant gratification. Ready in approximately 15 minutes!

Ingredients:

Water

Ice

Tea - I use green tea or rooibos (red bush) depending on my mood

Fruit juice concentrate - I used Halls Apple Concentrate in the above photograph.

Method

Now this is a tough one to describe because people like ice tea in various strengths and sweetnesses. But the following is generally how I roll:

Boil about 3 cups of water.

Let between 4 and 6 teabags steep in the boiled water for a good 5 minutes or until you are satisfied with the strength of the tea.

Chuck in a big handful or two of ice and then place in the fridge

Mix up the juice concentrate as per the instructions on the bottle. I usually use about three cups.

Add juice to tea and chuck in a bit more ice (or, if you're patient, place back in the fridge until cool).

Sunday, April 3, 2011

I found this recipe here and just added chocolate chunks. It's a really plain biscuit so it's a good starting point for biscuit experiments. Just add whatever you like, nuts, dried fruit, smarties, colourings.

I wasn't actually sure if I liked this recipe after the first biscuit I ate but then I tried another one (just to make sure) and after that there was no stopping me. I took more than half the batch to the office the next day to avoid over-dosing and it's pretty safe to say that these biscuits are a win.

I later realised that they taste very similar to the biscuits my gran used to make when I was a child, minus the chocolate though. It made me feel very nostalgic. That's probably why I ate so many of them. Not because I'm a pig. Definitely not.

Ingredients

125g Butter

2 cups Flour

1/2 cup Caster Sugar

1 tblsp Milk

1/2 tsp Vanilla essence

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 Egg

Half a slab of whatever chocolate you like

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius

Cream butter and caster sugar together

Add egg and vanilla and mix well

Add sifted flour, baking powder and milk and mix carefully until just incorporated.

Break up chocolate (I used swiss milk chocolate with hazelnuts) and mix in.

Roll the mixture into balls about the size of a large marble and place the balls on a greased/lined baking tray, flatten the balls with your thumb or with the back of a fork.